Last night I started teaching a four part series on the second shortest book in the Old Testament, Haggai. I started by asking the audience if they had ever heard a message from Haggai, and sadly, no one raised their hand. This is a wonderful, convicting, and inspiring book, and I would encourage you to read it.

Anyway, one thing really struck me as I taught last night. Haggai 1:5 and 1:7 both say, “Consider your ways.”

In reading this I realized how little we tend to evaluate ourselves. I think there is a habit among believers to just assume that what we are doing is right and good. It is painful to look at something that we have been a part of for a long time and question it’s effectiveness. It’s ever harder to look at how we have been living and question our own effectiveness. But, even though it’s tough, we must do it.

The fact is, all methods go out of date or become less effective. This is why we aren’t still driving Model T’s and obeying maximum speed limits of 20 mph (thank God). So, as we see the things that we have been doing become less effective, we have to check ourselves, evaluate our effectiveness, and make the appropriate changes.

We also need to check ourselves to be certain that we are walking in God’s will. This is the context for Haggai’s address. The people had returned from Babylonian Exile, started to rebuild the temple, fizzled out, and become selfish hypocrites. So Haggai tells them to “consider your ways” and helps them to realize that for sixteen years they had been turning away from God’s call on their lives, to rebuild the temple.

So, I think in checking ourselves we must do two things. Consider our call from God, are we walking in it? And, consider our effectiveness, are we reaping what we sow (Haggai 1:6).